Linux-Advocacy Digest #552, Volume #25 Tue, 7 Mar 00 23:13:04 EST
Contents:
Re: Salary? (The Ghost In The Machine)
Re: Windows 2000 is pretty reliable ("Drestin Black")
Re: Thoughts and answers sought for Linux research article ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
Re: Giving up on NT (Joseph)
Re: Salary? ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
Re: Why not Darwin AND Linux rather than Darwin OR Linux? (was Re: Darwin or Linux
(John Jensen)
Re: I can't stand this X anymore! (Donovan Rebbechi)
Re: Windows 2000 is pretty reliable (Donn Miller)
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From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (The Ghost In The Machine)
Crossposted-To: comp.os.linux.networking,comp.os.linux.misc
Subject: Re: Salary?
Date: Wed, 08 Mar 2000 03:22:51 GMT
In comp.os.linux.advocacy, Joseph T. Adams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote on 7 Mar 2000 13:12:49 GMT <8a2v8h$b0o$[EMAIL PROTECTED]>:
>In comp.os.linux.advocacy The Ghost In The Machine
><[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>: You haven't been seeing the price of gas rise lately,
>: have you, then? :-)
>
>: Around here, it's hovering around $1.60 a gallon, and that's
>: for the ultra-cheapie stuff. I don't know how many pounds
>: per liter that is offhand, though.
>
>
>Gas prices are MUCH higher almost everyplace else in the world, mainly
>due to high taxes, but also due to the fact that the U.S. is a huge
>producer of oil in addition to being the largest consumer. (Obviously
>most oil produced here is consumed here, and we still import much of
>the rest of the world's production.)
Whoops!
I keep forgetting the US is not the biggest thing in the world.
I'll go flog myself with a wet pizza now.... :-)
>
>
>Joe
--
[EMAIL PROTECTED] -- insert random misquote here
------------------------------
From: "Drestin Black" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Crossposted-To: comp.os.ms-windows.nt.advocacy
Subject: Re: Windows 2000 is pretty reliable
Date: Tue, 7 Mar 2000 22:21:35 -0500
"George Marengo" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]...
> On Tue, 7 Mar 2000 10:11:12 -0500, "Drestin Black"
> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> >"George Marengo" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
> <snip>
>
>http://x37.deja.com/[ST_rn=ps]/getdoc.xp?AN=518851113&CONTEXT=951639847.186
0
> >56751&hitnum=1
> >
> >I've documented that same machine here, if I didn't make it clear to you
> >then I'll make it clear to you now. It's a NT workstation. I updated it
to
> >SP6a recently so the uptime count has restarted :)
>
> So, saying that you had a Win9.X machine up for 331 days was a simple
> mistake on your part?
>
it was a win nt workstation box, is and still is. saying w9x was a mistake.
i think he didn't understand me correctly.
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: Thoughts and answers sought for Linux research article
Date: Wed, 08 Mar 2000 03:23:10 GMT
In article <8a2ruk$h9r$[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
"Tom Steinberg" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Of course you'll want a curmudgeon's point of view....
> 1) What is interesting about Linux? Why do people talk about it at
all?
Linux is not Microsoft. We're all bored with Microsoft. There's
nothing new to say about Microsoft. It's just the same old shit, over
and over and over and over and over.....
> 2) Why has Linux achieved what it has?
Old hippies. Group software has replaced group sex.
> 3) What has Linux really achieved?
Spawned Slashdot.
> 4) Where is Linux heading, realistically, in the short, medium and
long
> terms?
Only a clueless moron or an employee of Gartner (did I repeat myself?)
would hazard a guess at this one.
> 5) Is Linux sustainable as a project? Is it more or less sustainable
than
> non-free projects?
The internet comes to mind as an example of a free and open project that
seems to have achieved "sustainabilty".
> 6) Is Linux actually aiming at a level of desktop usability on par
with
> Windowz? If so, when? If not, why not?
My desktop choices are (a) an unstable but well supported OS versus (b)
a stable but sparsely supported OS. And which would you enjoy more;
death by lethal injection or toxic gas?
> 7) Is it more than just a typical manifestation of idealism which
cannot
> threaten the products of the financial incentives of the proprietory
> software world? Could Linux become the CND of the modern age, if the
> Microsoft case ever ends?
Easy come, easy go.
> 8) Which is better Windows or Linux? ( jk )
All operating systems suck. It's all a matter of determining which one
sucks less...
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 07 Mar 2000 19:41:26 -0500
From: Joseph <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Crossposted-To:
comp.sys.mac.advocacy,comp.os.ms-windows.nt.advocacy,comp.os.os2.advocacy
Subject: Re: Giving up on NT
Mike Timbol wrote:
>
> In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Joseph <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> >> Really? Name them. In some categories, consoles get the best games
> >> first, but in many others, PCs have the most innovative games. The games
> >> Darren mentions are in categories where PCs dominate.
> >
> >....But Of course. And the titles he doesn't want to mention the PC lags.
>
> Look, if you're going to claim that there are "some very similar games
> in the works", then simply name the games which are very similar to the
> ones he mentioned. You can't name them. Naming games in *other categories*
> doesn't support your point.
And ignoring console games does not support his arguement.
> > It also lags in sales and game publishers like EDIOS are dropping form 20
> > to 12 titles in 2000 so they can focus on the PSX II. If you look at the
> > development today the PC is losing.
>
> One market will always be larger; that's nothing new. Eidos was always
> both a PC and console publisher. They're scaling back PC game development.
> OK. Maybe next year, they'll drop it. Probably not.
>
> Tell me, why does Eidos still develop some games *specific* to the PC?
They're releasing 12 PC titles this year but I'm not sure what new titles they have
begun - if any. The spokesperson indicated they thought the PC wasn't a game
platform. You have to admit that MS's cancelation of Consumer NT hurt PC gaming and
home computing. Whistler isn't anything but an elephant asked to dance in a tu-tu.
> >Possibly, if you stick to the categories where the PC had a lead and it
> >is very easy to find console games the inspired PC titles.
>
> Then name them. Which PC titles have been inspired by console games?
> Sports, fighting and action games are all that come to mind. RTS?
> Adventure? FPS? Strategy? Simulation? All dominated by PC games.
Adventure - I played that game on a DataGeneral mini computer. Simulation comes from
UNIX workstations. FPS - Doom was designed on a NeXT Computer - UNIX.
> >But we're trying to avoid the issue which is the DC's raoring success
> >and the pending PSX II have all the main PC game makers moving invetments
> >to the console at the expense of the PC.
>
> Really now? You mention a single company, Eidos, and suddenly "all the
> main PC game makers" are moving to the console at the expense of the PC?
> Blizzard? Interplay? Lucasarts?
You want to tell me they aren't. The Newsweek article concluded the PC would be a
loser to the PSX. SEGA DC was another potential loser but this is simply a shift fomr
console ot console.
> >> Second, there aren't really that many ports from consoles to PCs. And,
> >> in my experience, they usually suck.
> >
> >SO WHAT?
>
> So your contention that PCs are cloning and emulating console titles
> is wrong. You name Final Fantasy as the game that proves your point.
> The game sucks on the PC. Blown away by native games.
The evidence the PC is emulating console games is PSX emulator and the MS X-BOX
strategy.
Final Fantasy is an example of a popular, exciting game for the old PSX. As for Final
Fantasy being blown away - not in terms of sales, revenue or popularity. If the PC
port stinks I can understand why - PCs are a small market.
> >> Not exactly. PCs have "realistic" flight simulators, but consoles don't.
> >> The "realistic" aspect doesn't fit the console demographic, and consoles
> >> don't usually have the kind of controllers to play these games.
> >
> >Realisitc in what sense? Pilots don't train on them. The realistic stuff
> >is SGI based.
>
> Yeah, and the fun sports games are played in real life, not on consoles.
> Ridiculous extremism wins you no points.
What is extreme? Is it defined as having more detail than the PC? Many PC games are
ridiculously complex and some of these titles have been canned while in developement.
Jane's Flight simulators like the A-10 are what come to mind. Homeworld gets pluses
for not being complex and having good game play - compromises on realism. So why is
the console too simple? It isn't and they are not limited to game pads. The first
feedback controls were console based.
> >Is realism the optimal goal for a game maker - NO. Complexity and
> >difficulty aside, it is often too niche and unpopular. You've followed
> >the cutbacks with the Jane series of flight simulators.
>
> Yes, it may be niche and unpopular. There may have been cutbacks. But
> these games don't exist on the consoles at all. Lack of diversity.
These canceled titles are losers. Lack of interest isn't a sign a PC has the
advantage - it is a sign the realism isn't a popular feature.
> >> When comparing a PC game to a console game in the same category, the
> >> console game almost invariably has fewer options, and is less
> >> extensible, too.
> >
> >Thank god.
>
> For many people, it's a good thing. They like simplicity. Why plan a
> mission, when you can just jump into instant combat? Why worry about
> a complex plot when all you want is flashy graphics?
>
> Some people like player-designed scenarios, or complex plots, or strategic
> planning. Many game publishers recognize this, even if you don't.
Publishers recognize this $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Complex games produce this $. Fun games produce this $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.
It isn't fair to label console agmes as instant combat kiddy games that don't require
strategy. Final Fantasy 8 great example fo a console game that defies the comic-kiddy
stereo type.
Homeworld was praised for its simplicity in the review. It isn;t as complex as other
games where too much time is organizing and planning resources.
> >> >In addition MSs next generation OS for PCs is Whistler and then Blackcomb
> >> >pure Windows2000 corporate OS with all the baggage associated with running
> >> >that large OS. This years new generation of game consoles have enough
> >> >power and are so low cost and focused as entertainment devices that PCs
> >> >have been overwhelmed.
> >>
> >> You are using the wrong tense; the PSX II isn't out yet, so PCs cannot
> >> "have been" overwhelmed by it.
> >
> >PCs have been overwhelmed. Already pruchases have been decided.
>
> Ah, interesting. You've already read everyone's mind, and you're speaking
> in some wierd "future past" tense. Got it.
No Mike. This idea is also in the Newsweek article. Sony was creditied with killing
sales of competitors with Press Releases about the PSX II.
Borland whined that Trubo BASCI sales were crippled by vaporware announcements by MS.
So what's the maytery that SONY, not MS, has the consumer and industry mindshare?
> >Oh no Mike. It was over the day MS waffled on consumer NT and said
> >W2K/Whistler was the next consumer OS.
>
> Insisting that your view of the future is what the future will really be
> doesn't support your argument much.
>
> If it's already over, why is Eidos, your prime example, producing PC games
> at all?
If it isn't over then why is MS producing the X-BOX?
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Crossposted-To: comp.os.linux.networking,comp.os.linux.misc
Subject: Re: Salary?
Date: 07 Mar 2000 22:41:50 EST
That's all well and good, but what's public transportation like in the UK? In
the suburban areas of the US you're lucky if it exists. In most places, it
doesn't.
(Remember, what I would consider a "short" drive for a long weekend sould get me
around the entire country of Scotland as far as distance goes.)
I think nothing of driving 45 minutes to spend a couple of hours with friends
a couple of times a week. One of those friends travels to Scotland FREQUENTLY
on business, and they all think we're daft for driving that bloody long just for
a couple of hours!
So, everything is relative.
On Tue, 7 Mar 2000 20:11:37 +0000, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>And verily, didst The Ghost In The Machine hastily scribble thusly:
>> In comp.os.linux.advocacy, [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>> wrote on Mon, 6 Mar 2000 21:31:57 +0000 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>:
>>>And verily, didst Desmond Coughlan hastily scribble thusly:
>>>> I think it's a myth that wages are higher in the United States, at least
>>>> when the high cost of living is taken into account.
>>>
>>>What high cost of living?
>>>Food's cheap. Petrol's cheap. PHone calls are cheap?
>>>You don't have a HIGH cost of living.
>
>> You haven't been seeing the price of gas rise lately,
>> have you, then? :-)
>
>I doubt it beats ours yet. 79p/Litre (Thats almost 3 POUNDS per gallon, $4.50
>ish).
>
>> Around here, it's hovering around $1.60 a gallon, and that's
>> for the ultra-cheapie stuff. I don't know how many pounds
>> per liter that is offhand, though.
>
>So we have to pay about 3 times as much then.
>
>> (Of course, living in the San Francisco Bay Area / Silicon Valley
>> might have something to do with that...)
>
>79p is from a CHEAP area!
>
>--
>______________________________________________________________________________
>| [EMAIL PROTECTED],uk | "Are you pondering what I'm pondering Pinky?" |
>| Andrew Halliwell BSc | |
>| in | "I think so brain, but this time, you control |
>| Computer Science | the Encounter suit, and I'll do the voice..." |
>------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>|GCv3.12 GCS>$ d-(dpu) s+/- a C++ US++ P L/L+ E-- W+ N++ o+ K PS+ w-- M+/++ |
>|PS+++ PE- Y t+ 5++ X+/X++ R+ tv+ b+ DI+ D+ G e++ h/h+ !r!| Space for hire |
>------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------
From: John Jensen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Crossposted-To: comp.sys.next.advocacy,comp.sys.mac.advocacy
Subject: Re: Why not Darwin AND Linux rather than Darwin OR Linux? (was Re: Darwin or
Linux
Date: 8 Mar 2000 03:46:19 GMT
mbkennel@ yahoo.spam-B-gone.com <REMOVETHEBADDOMAIN> writes:
[a good post]
I'll think about this overnight.
John
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Donovan Rebbechi)
Crossposted-To: comp.os.linux.x,comp.os.linux.development.apps
Subject: Re: I can't stand this X anymore!
Date: 8 Mar 2000 03:51:54 GMT
On 8 Mar 2000 00:58:42 GMT, David T. Blake wrote:
>Donovan Rebbechi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>> On 7 Mar 2000 22:35:34 GMT, David T. Blake wrote:
>
>> >Even though we're unable to tell for now whether FreeType
>> >violates them, this could mean that the free use of the library
>> >could be illegal in the US or other countries like Japan, be it
>> >in commercial or free projects.
>>
>> Wrong. It would mean that freetype would have to license the patent.
>
>Well, it is unclear whether this could ever happen. Apple
>would be unlikely to
Speculation. You said that Apple were planning to kill TrueType
on Linux, and haven't offered any supporting evidence.
>What is more likely is that Apple would propose a licensing
>plan that is untenable for the Freetype developers,
Again, pure speculation. And what would apple do by proposing that
anyway ?
>forget, metafont rendering PRECEDES TrueType by some time, and
>is actually a bit nicer.
Metafont is actually a vastly superior technology to TrueType *or*
Type1.
>The whole point of their patent was the same reason for
>developing any patent - protection of innovation for a fixed
>length of time through a legal granted monopoly. They enjoy
>this protection with TrueType fonts and make a lot of money
>from it.
Yes, IOW when someone makes money off it, they want some of it.
>any form of contract. LZW has certainly not been licensed on a
>royalty basis - but on a per use basis.
Actually, I believe LZW is free if your software is. This is why programs
like GIMP can legally use gif format. The patent onlygets expensive
if you want to make money.
The main problem is that you're supposed to pay if you use the GIFs on
a commrecial website.
>I find it highly likely.
Again, purely speculative/subjective.
>their products. IT people like Apple do this especially through
>patent protection. Their mentality
Again, speculative.
>Freetype people are NOT rich developers or even well funded. The
>site will shut down while they use a work around technique
>like metafont.
The site is still up.
>> Patent holders do not benefit from bad publicity. And they
>> don't stand to gain financially from setting their lawyers onto
>> the little guys. And there's no evidence they plan to do that.
>
>This is not something tremendously widespread in Unixland. Most
>people don't even understand that Freetype exists, or even
The entire free software community knows, and the trade press are
always open to a good story from the free software community. Apple
have attempted to woo the OSS community by getting their blessing on
their new OS. The OSS community are starting to carry a fair degree of
weight, and I think you are mistaken to dismiss the ability of OSS
spokespeople to rattle some chains where appropriate.
--
Donovan
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 07 Mar 2000 23:00:40 -0500
From: Donn Miller <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Crossposted-To: comp.os.ms-windows.nt.advocacy
Subject: Re: Windows 2000 is pretty reliable
Drestin Black wrote:
> it was a win nt workstation box, is and still is. saying w9x was a mistake.
> i think he didn't understand me correctly.
Of course, W98 has the 47 day uptime bug anyways, iirc. I doubt it if
W98 would even stay up that long... I used to get close to 3 days
uptime with W98 before I shut it down. Of course, my HW ain't exactly
a piece of shit, either. (Well, maybe my BTC CDROM is. :) But,
cdroms don't factor much into stability if you don't use them much.)
I've heard you can increase your uptime on W98 by having the non-Win
HW, GOOD HW, like that which is used in servers. People are crazy for
putting "WinModems" in their boxes, even if it is Win98. You can get
a pretty decent cheap "regular" modem at places at compusa with the
rebates.
I don't run Win98 anymore, although I do miss the vast array of
software available for it. I just don't like the thought of running a
single-user OS when I have a cable modem, especially considering that
I leave my computer running for days at a time. Well, Win98 doesn't
have much in the way of services running (like Win NT, or unix's inetd
& sendmail), but, you never know... Maybe some hacker can still hack
into a Win98 box if you leave your browser running, even if it is
unattended. Or, maybe it's possible to hack through the Win9x TCP/IP
stack, who knows.
I think most cable modem ISPs have a firewall and a proxy server for
security, but I guess it IS nice having the added securities of a
multi-user OS. Who knows, maybe someone can hack into the firewall?
So, I guess you have to watch for that. It's not likely, just a
possibility. (I think a lot of cable ISPs use a proxy server for web
caching. Is that supposed to double for security somehow as well??)
I tried to telnet into my cable modem isp machine from a Win 98 box.
The Windows box was on a different ISP with a reg. phone modem. I
couldn't get in. (Must be the firewall in action.)
- Donn
------------------------------
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